Iran’s President Rouhani: No Rift between Administration, Parliament

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani dismissed the notion that his presence in the Parliament to answer the lawmakers’ questions spells division in the country, saying all Iranian organizations and people have a unified approach to tackling problems.

Addressing the lawmakers in the Parliament on Tuesday, Rouhani dismissed as “completely wrong” the notion that his administration and the Parliament are at odds, saying the two bodies are working, in cooperation with other organizations under guidance of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, to address the problems.

“We are not afraid of either the US or the problems,” he underlined.

Assuring the Iranian nation of the country’s ultimate victory against the US plots, the president underscored that his administration will never allow “a bunch of anti-Iranians in the White House” to hatch plots against the Islamic Republic.

Recommending the US officials not to rejoice at the Iranian Parliament’s move to question the administration’s performance, Rouhani said the hearing session results only in stronger unity among the Iranian branches of power.

The president and his ministers appeared before the Parliament on Tuesday morning to answer questions on the administration’s performance in the wake of declining value of the country’s currency, rising unemployment and controversial economic policies.

Following the president’s remarks, the parliamentarians conducted separate votes for each of the five questions, whose main topics included failing to curb smuggling, continuation of sanctions on Iran’s banks, unemployment rate, and economic recession.

According to the votes cast at the conclusion of the session, the parliamentarians did not find the president’s replies convincing, except for the one to the question about continuation of sanctions on the country’s banking sector.

According to the law, the questions will be referred to the country’s Judiciary to deal with the issue.

Rouhani has come under pressure for poor handling of the economic situation that has resulted in a hike in the value of foreign currencies and diminishing purchasing power.

The Iranian money has plunged to a record low against the US dollar in recent weeks.

Foreign currency values began to rise in Iran after the US withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in May and announced plans for a fresh wave of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

In comments on August 13, Ayatollah Khamenei said the economic problems are not wholly caused by the foreign sanctions, but a series of internal issues and mismanagement are also to blame.

Making a reference to the hike in gold coin prices and devaluation of the Iranian money in recent weeks, the Leader said some of the problems are caused by imprudence and mismanagement, irrespective of sanctions.

Reiterating the need for serious fight against corruption, the Leader said the Islamic Republic takes a tough line against corruption without any reservation.